Denver- The DU women's tennis team finished the Oklahoma University Fall Invite with a few great victories and a lot of healthy competition this past weekend.

Sept. 19: Sophomore Maureen Slattery (Newport News, Va.) defeated Lisa Bulgakova of Southern Methodist University 7-6 and 6-4 in the first round of the Boomer Draw. This opening round was a particularly grand win as Bulgakova was nationally ranked last spring. Slattery advanced to the semi-finals where she fell to Erin Walker of Abilene Christian University.

Freshman Gracia Mboko (Burlington, Ontario) experienced her first match as a Pioneer on Friday as she faced Christie Brigante of Oklahoma University in the Sooner Draw. Mboko dropped this match 5-7, 6-2, and 6-3, and made an appearance in the Sooner Consolation that same day, where she lost 6-4 and 6-4 to Smith Hinton of the University of Kansas.

Sophomore Sonja Radosevic (Miami, Fla.) swept the win in her round of the Stoops Draw, where she was matched up against Summer Collins of Kansas in a 3-6 and 7-6 score before the match was retired.

Other match appearances on the opening game day included freshman Julia O'Loughlin who fell 1-6 and 2-6 in the Stoops Consolation, senior Michelle Garpenlov (Tyreso, Sweden) and Evy Van Genechten (Antwerp, Belgium) who were defeate d in the Switzer Draw.

Junior Charlotte Derbyshire (Stockton, England) also competed in the first round of the Switzer Draw, beating out opponent Ansley Boarman of ACU 6-3 and 6-0. Derbyshirewas defeated in the second round by Almaguer of Kansas, as were Garpenlov and sophomore Morgan Barnhill (Austin, Tex.) by their opponents.

Sept. 20: Slattery faced Kamilia Galieva of UNT in the Consolation of the Boomer Draw, in which she was defeated 1-6 and 4-6.

Mboko succeeded in her second appearance, the Sooner Conso Draw, in which she defeated Renata Kuricova of Tulsa 6-4 and 7-6. Denver's Radosevic then competed in the Stoops Draw, matched up with Emma Devine of Oklahoma in the semifinals. Radosevic succeeded 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Denver had two other players (Garpenlov and Barnhill) compete in the Stoops Conso Draw, however both athletes lost their matches. Garpenlov went 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 against Alexis Czapinski of KU and Barnhill was 2-6, 0-6 against Lucille Pothier of ACU.

Van Genechten saw time on the court for the Switzer Conso Draw Quarterfinals in which she was defeated 4-6 and 0-6.

The Pioneers had greater success in the doubles rounds, beginning with Mboko and Radosevic's triumph over Shestakova and Thoma of UNT where they ended an intense match in their favor 8-7. Mboko and Radosevic advanced to the quarterfinals, where they were defeated 6-8 by Schiller and Porubin of WSU.

In the first round of the Red Draw, Barnhill and Slattery competed and lost to Hermsdorf and Pothier of ACU 6-8. O'Loughlin and Garpenlov also played in this round, where they trumped Almaguer and Henderson of KU 8-7.

Saturday's matches ended with the White Draw, or round robin, in which Derbyshire and Van Genechten competed. The pair won the first round against Pickens (KU) and Pump (WSU), for which they advanced to the second round. The Pioneers unfortunately lost in the second to Czapinski and Johnson of KU.

Sept. 21: Denver had a difficult Sunday beginning with the championship Boomer Draw for singles, where Slattery fell 4-6, 4-6 to Aleksandra Trifunovic of WSU.

Mboko faced Palma Juhasz and was defeated 2-6 and 1-6 in the consolation of the Sooner Conso Drive.

Radosevic also dropped her consolation match of the Stoops Draw to Zita Engbroks of OU 3-6, 2-3 and 4-6.

Two Pioneers, Garpenlov and Barnhill competed in the Switzer Draw consolation matches, but both ladies lost their games. Garpenlov came out 3-6 and 6-7 to Melinda Johnson of KU and Barnhill ended with scores of 2-6, 6-3 and 5-7.

For the first Switzer Consolation Match, Van Genechten and O'Loughlin gave their best efforts but again, fell short to opponents Carli Knezevich (ACU) with 0-6, 2-6, and 4-6, and Nicole Breaux (Ark.) with 0-6, 6-3, and 4-6.

In doubles, Denver played Mboko and Radosevic who lost to Bulgakova and Wright with a score of 4-8.

O'Loughlin and Garpenlov also fell 4-8 to Marajanovic and Boarman of ACU.

Barnhill and Slattery ended on a high note in the Red Conso Draw, beating Bago and Cirnu of SKU 8-5.

Lastly, Derbyshire and Van Genechten played in the White Draw, the last match of the entire tournament. The duo was defeated by Williams and Knezevich of ACU 4-8.

The Crimson and Gold will continue their preseason with the Regional Championship at the University of New Mexico on October 15.

-EXPERIENCE DENVER ATHLETICS-

Visit DenverPioneers.comfor complete coverage of all 17 of Denver's NCAA Division I sports

Like Denver Pioneersand Denver Women's Tennison Facebook

Follow @DU_Pioneersand @DU_WTennis on Twitter